Worship in Spirit ~ Worship in Truth

After spending some time looking forward in John’s Gospel, I find my mind drawn one more time to the woman at the well in John 4. She expressed an inner conflict over the correct place of worship, which was an expression of the more obvious conflict between Jews and Samaritans.

 

Fallen Women and Jesus

Have you ever noticed how Jesus was not afraid to be associated with women of questionable moral character? Mary Magdalene was someone out of whom he had cast 7 demons (Mark 16:9). We don’t know exactly what that meant, but certainly Mary Magdalene was not someone who had graced the lists of high society in her day. Then there was the woman in Luke 7:36-50. Simon the Pharisee was appalled with Jesus’ obvious acceptance of her gestures of affection. Additionally, how can we forget the protection and mercy Jesus offered the woman caught in adultery? When everyone else condemned her, Jesus judged everyone else and saved the adulterous women.

 

How Secret are our Thoughts?

Would you be comfortable in the presence of someone who could read your mind? Some of us go to great lengths to make what we hope would be a good impression on others. Some businesses even employ people whose sole responsibility is to keep a good image of the company before the eyes of the public, and, if for any reason the company is caught doing something illegal or has produced a product that has hurt the public or the environment, these public relations employees try to turn the negative publicity into something positive or at least something less damaging to their company’s image.

 

You Are What You Eat

Is God concerned with our diet? Well, ‘yes & no’ would most likely be the truth. My family doctor is probably more concerned over my cholesterol level than God is. On the other hand God is interested in what I think about Jesus and in my overall spiritual well being.

 

An Appointment with Destiny

Few people realize when they wake up in the morning of a particularly fateful day that they will be forever changed before they retire for the evening. Such a day occurred for the Samaritan woman the day she went out and met Jesus at Jacob’s well. Looking back on the scene, we can only marvel over the compassion God has for our condition. What a contrast there is between God and mankind. He created us to be his image, but, if there is anyone mankind does not wish to imitate, it would be God. Whether it is in politics, education, entertainment or even religion, we simply refuse to be like God!

 

Removing the Barriers

A few weeks earlier Jesus had spoken of his body being the Temple of God (John 2:19-21), but he was misunderstood by the rulers of the Jews. The Temple was divided into courts that separated the priests from the rest of the Israelites, these were still divided between men and women, and last of all there was a court for the gentiles, which was to the extreme limit of the Temple complex. No one was to go beyond the place provided for his status before God as spelled out in the traditions of those ruling the Temple. Yet, in Christ, the living Temple of God, there are no barriers. The wall of separation between us is torn down (Ephesians 2:13-14). In him there is neither Jew nor Greek, male or female, bond or free (Galatians 3:28). He is our Temple—we dwell in him, and in him there is no discrimination of any kind.